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Borneo Palms in Habitat


MikeL

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The upcoming biennial has motivated me to post some pictures from a trip my wife, Mary, and I took to Borneo a couple of years ago. Part of our trip hit some of the same destinations planned for the biennial, but there’s so much to see – and so many palms – that it was an easy decision to return with the palm society this year. If anyone is still wondering about whether to sign up, perhaps these shots will help you get you off the fence.

Let’s start with Bako National Park which figures to be a highlight of the biennial. Sandy beaches, lush rainforest, golden cliffs, and fantastic palms. Here’s Mary and me on one of those beautiful beaches in Bako with Oncosperma tigillarium in the background. The place was so idyllic that I had to insert myself into the picture to de-beautify the scene a bit.

BOR1306_BakoPoseB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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I think that Oncosperma tigillarium are the rock stars of Bako – very showy and extravagant but also a bit prickly. They dominate the skyscape in coastal areas.

BOR1306_OncospermaSkylineB.jpg

BOR1306_OTigillariumHillB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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O. tigillarium looks particularly good next to the golden beaches and sandstone cliffs.

BOR1306_OTigillariumBeachB.jpg

BOR1306_OncospermaCliffB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Head inland a bit and you can find O. tigillarium’s more modest cousin: O. horridum. Unlike O. tigillarium, O. horridum tends toward a solitary habit and lacks its cousin’s beautifully pendant leaflets. I only saw a couple of these guys at Bako but I have some better pictures of them from the interior of Borneo.

BOR1306_OHorridumBako1B.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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No palm tour of Bako would be complete without a few pictures of Johannesteijsmannia altifrons. This particular grove gets shot a lot (see, for example, http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/36826-sarawak-palms-in-habitat/) since it’s only about a half-hour walk from the park headquarters. Philip Arrowsmith pointed out to me that is an Areca insignis var. moorei in the first picture. You can see its oddly arranged leaflets at the base of the Joey on the right.

BOR1306_BakoJoeysB.jpg

BOR1306_JAltifornsPortraitB.jpg

BOR1306_BakoSingleJoeyB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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You see a lot of Pinangas and Licualas around Bako. This set of pictures is likely to be all the same species of Pinanga. Philip Arrowsmith suggested it might P. pachyphylla, which, according to Dransfield, “is peculiar in its strange succulent texture.” I guess I’ll have to squeeze this palm the next time I see it.

BOR1306_PPachyphyllaTallB.jpg

BOR1306_PPachyphyllaSeedsB.jpg

BOR1306_BakoPPachyphyllaHabitB.jpg

BOR1306_BakoPPachyphyllaSmallB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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But be careful what you squeeze in the rainforest in Borneo. This Bornean Keeled Green Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus) was resting on a branch just off one of the main trails not far from the park headquarters.

BOR1306_PitViperB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Another super cool tree I saw in Bako was Pholidocarpus majadum. The ones in these pictures are just babies; I could see another one nearby that had to be 15 meters / 50 feet high but couldn't get a clear shot of it. These palms look to me like a giant Licuala stuck on a pole.

BOR1306_MikePMajadumB.jpg

BOR1306_PMajadumCrownB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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And speaking of Licualas, here is a fine specimen of L. bidentata, kindly identified for me by Jeff Marcus. This was probably the largest L. bidentata I saw – about 2 meters tall. I wonder if those are its babies or perhaps siblings scattered around on the forest floor.

BOR1306_BakoLBidentataB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Eugeissona insignis is a tree you’ll see a lot if you go on the biennial. It’s kind of a strange beast. In the first shot you can see that a cluster of them on the hillside can seem quite appealing. And in the second shot you can see that they are attractive when young, too. But the trees never develop much of a trunk and what little they have is covered with vicious spines.  Instead of developing a proper trunk, they simply pump out 10-meter long leaves - you can see Mary hiking under some of those leaves in the third shot. And as you can see in the fourth shot, the shoot rather amazing stalks of fruit right out of top of their heads. I have some better pictures of Eugeissona from the interior of Borneo.

BOR1306_BakoEIsignisHillB.jpg

BOR1306_EugeissonaBabyB.jpg

BOR1306_MaryEInsginisB.jpg

BOR1306_BakoEInsignisFruitB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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There are more than a few spiny palms, like this Eleiodoxa conferta, lurking in the coastal swamps of Bako. You can see the scaly fruit from this stemless palm in the second shot and I saw it for sale in several markets as you can see in the third and fourth shots. One vendor panicked when she thought I was going to bite into one. Apparently they’re too sour to eat out of hand.

BOR1306_EConfertaSingleB.jpg

BOR1306_EConfertaFruitB.jpg

BOR1306_EConfertaMarket1B.jpg

BOR1306_EConfertaMarket2B.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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There are also at least two species of Salacca growing in Bako; I believe that this lousy shot portrays S. zalacca. I saw very little Salacca fruit in markets but did find it for sale in the town of Serian, inland from Kuching, as you can see in the second shot. Perhaps it was out of season.

BOR1306_SmallSZalaccaB.jpg

BOR1306_SalakFruitB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Palms are plentiful and diverse in Bako but the wildlife there is spectacular as well. Check out this Borneo Bearded Pig (Sus barbatus) right on the beach in front of the park headquarters. These creatures are usually quite shy since they’re prized game animals in places where hunting is allowed.

BOR1306_BeachPigB.jpg

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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And, of course, there are many, many monkeys some of which are indeed naughty. Just how naughty? Pretty darn naughty. This long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) swiped that orange soda right from my side and wouldn’t share a bit of it. By the way, it was a brand new bottle when she got it. Apparently she had no problem breaking the seal on the cap.

BOR1306_NaughtyWarningB.jpg

BOR1306_MonkeyGuzzleB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Here’s another snake for you. I think this might be a Banded Malaysian Coral Snake (Calliophis intestinali). If you see one, it would be best to leave it alone.

BOR1306_BandedCoralSnakeB.jpg

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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There’s all kinds of other cool plants in Bako as well. I don’t know how you feel about stinkhorns, but this one seems quite fetching to me. That pink color suggests it might be a Cinnabar Veiled Stinkhorn (Phallus cinnabarinus) which, somehow, sounds better.

BOR1306_VeiledStinkhornB.jpg

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Borneo is a hotbed of diversity for pitcher plants. I’m guessing that the one in this picture is Nepenthes rafflesiana.

BOR1306_BakoNRafflesianaB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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And there are cycads at Bako as well. All park literature claims that this is Cycas rumphii, but C. edentata or C. litoralis seem like better guesses. I guess.

BOR1306_TwoCycasB.jpg

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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We spent more days at Bako than originally planned acting on advice from Jack and Lindsay Sayers who’d preceded us there. We could have spent even more time if we’d had it. There's a lot to see and explore. When it was finally time to leave we hiked out across the beach and caught a boat back to civilization, less than an hour away.

BOR1306_PakuHikeB.jpg

BOR1306_MaryBeachBoatB.jpg

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Really cool pictures, Mike. I was thinking that my three towering clumps of Astrocaryum murumuru should satisfy my taste for big thorny palms, but now I think I have to make a place for Oncosperma tigillarium. Maybe a Pholidocarpus majadum would not be out of place, too. Maybe I don't need Eugeissona or Eleiodoxa, though. I already have Salacca in pots from Thailand, so I can't help about that one. How did your attire work for you on your forest walks? Were there insects or other small critters?

 

Mike Merritt

Big Island of Hawaii, windward, rainy side, 740 feet (225 meters) elevation

165 inches (4,200 mm) of rain per year, 66 to 83 deg F (20 to 28 deg C) in summer, 62 to 80 deg F (16.7 to 26.7 Deg C) in winter.

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Great photos Mike! So glad you both think it is worth a return trip!

 It will be fun to catch up, as so many folks from previous Biennials have signed on.

It is always interesting to see the faces of those who post on Palm Talk too. 

I am excited!

Everyone who possibly can make it should do so. 

Cindy Adair

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I had the great fortune in visiting this park when I visited Borneo back in the early 90's. The most incredible alms I remember seeing here were the Joeys. This will be a great treat to go back, especially with all my palm friends.

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

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Thanks for the kind comments, Dave and Patricia. And, Cindy, it will be fun to catch up with you again at the biennial.

Mike, I don't know if you've been to Singapore but they use Oncosperma tigillarium as a landscape tree throughout the old botanic garden. I've attached a shot of Mary enjoying a free evening concert of opera music at Singapore Botanic Gardens. Several of those large trees in the background are actually clumps of O. tigillarium,

And, Jeff I hope to get a chance later tonight to post pictures of some other Joeys from Kubah National Park. I suspect you've seen those trees before, too.

SIN1305_OperaPano.jpg

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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In response to your question about attire, Mike, I always went with long pants in Borneo just for basic protection against scratches, bites and leaches. It turns out, though, that we had no problem with leaches in either Bako or Kubah parks. Perhaps that's was just because we visited those places during a bit of a dry spell, but I've also heard that leaches are more of a problem in Sabah. We did find plenty of the buggers there. Also, the well maintained trail systems in Bako and Kubah give you a little protection from leaches and other critters since you're not constantly rubbing up against brush.

Boots are a good idea and if you're planning to go on the pre-tour then you might want to consider water sandals, i.e., something like Tevas. I think there might be some canoe trips on the pre-tour and I found those kind of sandals to be very helpful when traveling on water.

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Thanks for the comment, Steve. But we're only just getting started.

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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On to Kubah National Park, just a short ride from Kuching. In fact, we took a taxi to the park entrance to Kuching and asked the driver to come back and pick us up in a couple of days.

Kubah may not have the fabulous beaches or abundant wildlife of Bako, but it does have some of the most impressive rainforest I’ve seen anywhere. Absolutely massive Shorea trees; pockets of tranquil beauty in the understory.

BOR1306_ChaletViewB.jpg

BOR1306_KubahStream1B.jpg

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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My favorite palm at Kubah has to be the incredible Licuala orbicularis. I was surprised at how big these guys could get; the plant in the first picture be at least 7 feet across. I don’t think I’d call these palms common in the park but there were plenty of them to be found within a half hour’s walk of the park entrance.

BOR1306_LOrbicularisWideB.jpg

BOR1306_TwoLOrbicularisB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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As I’m sure you’ve heard, Kubah has an almost overwhelming array of palms. I had to rely on Jeff Marcus and Philip Arrowsmith to help me identify several of them. This is Salacca sarawakensis. Not as viciously armed as many Salacca species and really quite pretty. I wouldn’t kick it out of my garden.

BOR1306_SSarawakensisB.jpg

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Here’s a clump of Pinanga tomentella growing right along the trail. Just a lovely palm, about as high as my head. I’ve heard that these are in cultivation but certainly not at my place. Yet.

BOR1306_PTomentellaB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Then, of course there is Johannesteijsmannia altifrons. It’s pretty hard not to be impressed by these guys. This group of Joeys took a little walking to reach, but not particularly hard walking.

BOR1306_MikeAndJoeyB.jpg

BOR1306_KubahJoeyB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Perhaps you’ve heard that there’s at least 100 species of palm in Kubah, which is pretty amazing considering that the place is not that big as far as national parks go. It’s worth remembering, though, that the majority of those 100 species are rattans, many of which are quite beautiful but also quite unfamiliar to us gardeners. I suspect that the carpet of small palms in the first picture of this post are a species of Calamus but I don’t really know. I can’t even guess at the genus of the small palm in the second picture but if you look really close you can see – at least at the original, full-sized version of the picture –  the tell-tale claws of a rattan on it.

BOR1306_KubahPalmCarpetB.jpg

BOR1306_KubahPalmB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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I've still got more pictures to post from Kubah but, sadly, I also have a job. I'll have to find some time between meetings to squeeze in a few more posts.

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Great photography. What did you use to capture these?

Len

Vista, CA (Zone 10a)

Shadowridge Area

"Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."

-- Alfred Austin

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Thanks for the compliments.

Len, I've used Nikon gear since I was a teenager and continued that habit on this trip to Borneo. Specifically, I used a D800 body with one of two Nikon lenses - a medium zoom and a 80-400 zoom. The two biggest challenges I faced were low light and crowding from other plants in the forest. The new cameras have such great noise reduction that I frequently used high ISO levels like 1600 and 3200 but even those wasn't good enough in darker places. I resorted to using a tripod for many shots mostly to increase depth-of-field. I also used flash for a few pictures, more successfully in some shots than in others. Typically I used two flashes: the built-in flash on the camera itself and the second flash (a Nikon SB-900, I think) held off to the side of the camera. The off-camera flash helped me to better focus the light on the subject without blasting all of the surrounding foliage indiscriminately.

By the way, many (but not all) of the jpegs I've uploaded include metadata describing the camera and shooting information I used. I think, though, that you might have to download a picture to inspect its metadata.

Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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Continuing with more from Kubah: These Licualas were easily tall enough for me to walk under. Whenever I saw a Licuala that big in Borneo I figure that it must be L. valida. Philip Arrowsmith agreed we me on this one so I might even have this ID right.

BOR1306_KubahLicualaTallB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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This next three pictures was taken all in the same place. I think this is Areca furcata although I can’t be 100% sure it isn’t A. minuta. From the key in one Dransfield’s old papers, it seems like the surest way to distinguish between these two species is to count the number of stamens in the flowers. Too bad I didn’t bother to do that when I was there. Nevertheless, I was happy to narrow down my identification to just two species since Dransfield wrote that there were many collections of A. minuta in herbaria hidden under the label Pinanga spp. If real botanists can't even get the genus right... 

BOR1306_AFurcataInfB.jpg

BOR1306_AFurcataFruitB.jpg

BOR1306_AFurcataClumpB.jpg

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Mike Lock, North coast of Maui, 330 ft/100 m elevaton, 80 in/2000 mm average rainfall

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